Two True
by Sarcastically Insane
Summary: A pirate hunter's story as he and his mysterious captain search for Luffy 5 years after the current OP storyline, from when they meet to the end.
1. Chapter 1

Call me Ash. I was named so because of my ash-colored hair and eyes. I'd like to say that I'm first mate to the greatest captain who ever lived, but there isn't much competition when you're the only crew he has. Not a pirate captain, of course, but he is hunting one. His name is Hiro, but pronounced 'hero'. If he's a hero, though, Neptune save us.

Let me start from the beginning of the tale. It was a windy morning when his small ship blew into Tristram's harbor in the West Blue. We ran a small town, with my father owning the only inn and me running the place while he was out for the week; my mother was long dead, I was an only child, and my father never talked of his past; he had even taken my mother's name upon their marriage, and I didn't know his original name.

So I was in the inn, at the time around eighteen years of age; I was strong and tall, but my eyes unnerved people; there were plenty of rumors of me being a corpse or some nonsense. I wore my light vest and pants, with no hat and my hair long. Deckard C. Ash, innkeeper. How glorious.

Well, there was quite a commotion when a traveler visited our little town. When the traveler has Devil Fruit powers and stirs up a commotion by asking around for one of the most infamous pirates on the sea, there isn't a hearing ear in Tristram that hasn't heard of him by the time he breaks the beach.

"Where is Monkey D. Luffy?!" he was yelling. "The Pirate Prince?!"

Well, I was already out to the shore, and hearing this new epithet for Luffy was a bit unusual. Pirate Prince? I though Luffy was aiming for King of the Pirates… not that I admired him or anything, but he was a bit of a celebrity.

There was already a crowd around him, and he then demonstrated his Devil Fruit power.

"Gum-Gum Balloon!" he yelled before inhaling enough air to stretch out and push back the crowd.

'Gum-Gum?' I though to myself. 'Isn't the Gum-Gum fruit Luffy's?'

In due course he got to my inn and got a room. Before he left, though, I decided to grill him.

"So why are you after Luffy?" I asked.

"Personal reasons. Also, I'm a pirate hunter; he's like the motherlode to us."

"What's up with this 'Pirate Prince' business?

"His new epithet. He has apparently divined the location of the One Piece, though even he isn't reckless enough to go after it; after five years on the sea, he's apparently gained some sense."

"Five years? Has it been that long?"

"Yes. Five years ago was his first encounter with Buggy the Clown, when his bounty was placed on him. The World Government thinks he's around twenty-three now."

It was then that the first explosion happened. Hiro, whose name I knew only from his signature for his room, was out the door instantly.

"Pirates!" someone yelled.

Well, well. When an apparently big-time pirate hunter comes to town, so do people who hate him. Another explosion sounded.

I peered out the door to see the pirate ship… and it was one of Buggy the Clown's, a Devil Fruit-wielding pirate who has been active in our area recently; this one was one of his grunts'. Apparently he could be a big-time pirate, but after some alleged time in Impel Down (alleged because nobody could escape), he didn't want another major run-in with the world government.

Well, one of the explosions had damaged Hiro's boat. And there is one thing that you do NOT, under any circumstances, do to a Devil Fruit user, and that is get rid of his boat. Nothing good ever comes of it.

Hiro was in the street now, angry. He yelled some incomprehensible words and flung his arm towards the pirate ship, putting a hole in its hull. Another Gum-Gum punch, apparently.

However, what happened next was a surprise. Hiro yelled something that sounded like 'Bone-Bone Spear', and a white streak shot from his right arm into the hull, making another hole. This was repeated until the ship was sunk; the crew appeared to be too panicked about what seemed to be Luffy and another, new Devil Fruit user attacking them to continue firing. Hiro ran down to the wreckage, and soon it was blazing, even though it was sinking into the ocean; I didn't want to know how he could do that. I was curious about his multiple Devil Fruit powers, though. That was suppose to be impossible.

And I knew how to find out.

***

Author's Note: I might not continue this past the first few chapters unless I get some feedback. And Hiro has only eaten one Devil Fruit, so don't worry about that. Please review?


	2. Chapter 2

I ran to the docks. My father's boat must still be there. Over the hill behind my house, through the river, out onto the beach…

I arrived just in time to see it finish burning. The fire from Buggy's ship must have spread. I sank to my knees in despair. I wasn't going to leave Tristram. I was going to run my father's inn forever, until he got back.

Then, another thought occurred to me: my boat probably wasn't the only one ruined. There were only about three boats on Tristram, and the other two were closer to the fire than mine, so Hiro wouldn't be able to leave! I could bide my time until my father got back and got another boat…

I returned to the inn and slept. My current plan might not have worked, but I would figure something out.

The weeks passed, and Hiro did work for the town. He was incredibly strong, fast, tough, and his Devil Fruit powers helped him when his body alone couldn't overcome it, but he never once let anyone know what fruit he had eaten. Then, one day, someone called out that the traders' ship was returning. My father was coming back at last!

I ran out to the beach, along with most of the town, Hiro included, since he wanted off what he referred to as "this rock in the middle of the ocean." The ship's flag was waving beautifully in the breeze, rocking gently on the waves…

And then the person next to me coughed up blood and fell to the ground. Then another. Instantly, the crowd panicked. What was happening? The merchants had no weapons! We all made a mad dash for the town as more of us fell.

Hiro just stood there, though, and a faint clinking noise was heard. A thorn-like object fell to the ground in front of him. I had heard of this power, the 'Tough-Tough Shield". He hardened his skin until nothing could pierce or slash it, but it was heavy and many of his other powers were rendered useless.

I ran and hid behind a rock near the end of the beach, and as the ship grew closer, I saw the attacker; a woman with greenish skin.

"So, Hiro," she said as the boat beached, "how is this little town fairing? Unfortunately, there won't be any more imports for it. Or exports."

What she says takes a second to hit me. She killed everyone on the boat; no more imports. And soon she's going to kill everyone on the island; no more exports. She crosses her right hand over her chest, then swings it out, throwing out star-like thorns that fly into town; I hear screams and smell blood.

"What do I care?" Hiro replies.

My vision narrows. He would just betray us after weeks of helping us?

"You bastard!" I yell and run out at him, jumping and tackling him. I catch him off guard, and swing into a position where he shields me from the woman's thorns. I hear more clinks, so that was a good idea. I slug him with all my strength, however, and from the sound, break most of my knuckles. I fall down, only half aware of what is happening.

Hiro turns around to face the woman. "So, Rose, Lance actually gave you the Thorn-Thorn fruit? A Logia? How long have you been his whore, then? A few months?"

The woman's face clouds. "The boy was right. You're a bastard." She flings a few more thorns at Hiro, but none of them do any damage. In a flash, Hiro jumps up and tackles her, jumping impossibly high impossibly fast; I have seen him do it before, so it isn't a shock to me, but she is surprised. He then slings her off the ship, onto land, and reaches out with a Gum-Gum arm to grab me. I black out around this time.

When I come to, I feel the gentle rocking of the sea.

"What happened?" I ask, feeling my pained knuckles. Then it comes back, and I sit bolt upright. "Tristram. What happened to everybody?"

Hiro came out of a cabin, smelling of blood. "They were dead before I could help any of them."

"Liar!" I yell. "You were intent on getting away-"

"And saving as many lives as I could. That was one, yours. Be thankful boy. Because unless you develop a reason for me to keep you, I'm dropping you off at Kong Island, my next stop."

I quiet down, then another question comes to mind. "My father, is he…?"

"He looks like he died first. One thorn through the head. I burned his body, unlike the others, which I just threw overboard. You'd protest too much otherwise."

I lay back down on the deck, shellshocked. Dad was dead. Tristram gone. Mom long dead. I had nothing. No idea who my distant family was. I didn't even know my middle name, only that it started with a C. Deckard C. Ash, helpless victim.

I stare at my knuckles, wondering how they healed, as the boat moves closer and closer to my inevitable fate: isolation.

Next Time!: I felt the cold steel hit the side of my neck. How the saber entered and severed my throat. And how it left the other side. How my head fell, hit the ground, and my mouth opened in a silent scream, with no air. What was happening?


End file.
